Deadline: 24 January 2025
The Leprosy Research Initiative is pleased to announce a new round of the call for proposals for the Research Capacity Strengthening Grant Program, aiming to fund innovative short projects led by early career researchers, supported by an experienced mentor with funding commencing in 2025.
Research Priorities
- The five research priorities of the LRI are as follows:
- Diagnostic tests: Development and testing new assays for diagnosis of disease and infection.
- Disability: On the one hand, promote prevention, early detection and effective treatment of nerve function impairment (NFI) and reactions. And on the other hand improve the coverage of prevention of disability activities and their integration in national programmes and integrated wound and limb care programmes.
- Operational research: Operational research and geospatial mapping to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, or reach of available tools, in order to improve health programs and health outcomes.
- Stigma and discrimination: Testing stigma reduction interventions, promoting the inclusion and mental wellbeing of leprosy affected persons, and studying behaviour change approaches.
- Transmission: Test methods and tools to interrupt the transmission and incidence of leprosy, including increasing the coverage of effective contact management and post-exposure chemoprophylaxis and vaccines.
Duration
- The project duration must not exceed 24 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicant must be an early career researcher (defined as not having been a PI on a previous research project with a budget ≥€20,000) affiliated with an organisation/institution where leprosy research or control programmes are being carried out. Preference will be given to researchers not currently enrolled in PhD programmes, fellowships or postdoctoral positions.
- The focus of the research should be leprosy – including research applications combining leprosy with other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) or other diseases or disabilities that share cross-cutting issues with leprosy. The emphasis of this call is on the capacity strengthening of the early-career researcher conducting the project. The project scope/topic does not need to focus on capacity strengthening.
- The main topic of the study must fall within one of the agreed LRI priority areas for leprosy research.
- The total budget must not exceed €20,000.
- Research results must be directly applicable to leprosy services or promote the wellbeing of persons affected by leprosy.
- Approval from Applicant’s line manager and commitment from a project mentor must be sought and included in the submission. The mentor should be an experienced professional providing expertise and guidance to support the applicant’s career development, assist in the development of the research proposal, and, if funded, support the implementation of the project.
For more information, visit Leprosy Research Initiative.